Tagged: daylyt

We wanted to showcase this article from May 4 again because of how prophetic it was in places. Total Slaughter happened and by now you probably know it wasn’t pretty. We were in the building for the event so didn’t go through the same frustration that people who ordered the PPV did. But there were other frustrations we did experience.

We’ve been busy writing for BattleRap.com and HipHopDX lately so please excuse the slowness on TOBB. We’re putting out more content than we usually do, you just have to go looking for it.

Another busy month, another late edition of Battles to Watch. For the record, this is actually the second month in a row where the best battle features Daylyt in a ski mask. Poke around the site once you’re done here to check out what else we’ve been working on.

Tonight was the debut of “The Road to Total Slaughter” reality show on Fuse TV, which probably features at least one of your favourite battle rappers. The show stars Aye Verb, Big T, Dizaster, Marv Won, Daylyt, Arsonal, Cortez, T-Rex and Math Hoffa, who live together in a house for a week as they compete in a tournament against each other. Between battles, they’re “mentored” by Loaded Lux and Murda Mook.

The first episode didn’t spend much time introducing the characters to the broader audience, instead taking more of a fly-on-the-wall approach and letting the battlers reveal their personalities as they bantered and argued about YouTube views and win-loss records. For the most part it had a casual reality TV feel to it, cutting head-on monologues with unrehearsed group conversations.

What with our Vendetta 2 coverage/trip to LA/busy lives in general, we never got around to doing our monthly installment of the five battles to watch from April. Here’s a quick version, for posterity’s sake.

King of the Dot’s Vendetta 2 Redemption card mostly lived up to its name in Los Angeles last night. The event was to make up for Blackout 4′s six unexpected cancellations but of the three rescheduled battles, only Bender vs Big T went down. Ill Will backed out against Real Deal, citing contractual obligations to BET, and Shotty Horroh was replaced by Caustic as Aye Verb’s opponent with two weeks’ notice.

Despite those early setbacks, it was a great event with lots of impressive performances from some of the best battle MCs in the world, cheered on by a generous and well-behaved crowd. The venue was much smaller than the massive rooms we’ve seen in Toronto recently, holding around 500 people comfortably. The stage was only a couple of feet high and the battlers were surrounded by people which should result in footage similar to that of Battle of the Bay 6 — which is a good thing.

To a certain extent, this was the URL vs KOTD card that fans have been demanding for years. That no one really noticed shows how much overlap there now is between the leagues and their rosters.

Overall, the tone of the battles gave clear indication that a combination of complex wordplay, rapid-fire punches and dense lyricism is the dominant style in battling today. Our only request for the next card is that we get a bit more comedy to break up the encyclopedia’s worth of bars we’re getting shouted at us in a night.

The idea works on two levels for King of the Dot’s upcoming event in Los Angeles.

First, KOTD is seeking redemption for the “Vendetta” legacy. The first Vendetta event, in 2012, will always be remembered as “that time Canibus died in front of a live audience.” In some ways, that battle launched KOTD — and battle culture as a whole — to a wider audience, although it probably wasn’t the ideal foot to put forward…

Second, KOTD needs to redeem itself from the disappointments at Blackout 4. After a series of uncontrollable circumstances at Toronto’s January event, six battles were cancelled, including many of the weekend’s most-anticipated matchups. Scores were left unsettled and there was a feeling of incompleteness for fans, battlers and KOTD staff.

This card is serious business. There are no novelty battles. There are no throwaway battles. Every matchup is dripping with potential and every battler has proved he can deliver on the main stage.

We reached out to the KOTD staff to get their impressions on the card. Here’s what they said:

Photos by @Lemme_Kno

Kingfly – KOTD Toronto

“When we announced the card, the matchup was Aye Verb vs Shotty Horroh. I was really excited to see Shotty’s return to battling after his hiatus. Shotty is easily the Number 1 battler from the U.K. and he was taking on “Mr. Showtime,” who many consider to be one of the top battlers today.

When Shotty told me he couldn’t make it I was disappointed but moreso concerned with what was going on with him personally. Personal life always trumps battle rap. But Caustic is a good replacement. This is a big opportunity for him so he won’t come light. And knowing him, he’ll have dirt on Verb so it should be entertaining.”